Moments with You Couples Devotional 4/6

But we prayed to our God, and because of them we set up a guard against them day and night. - NEHEMIAH 4:9

After one of our many radio broadcasts in which I talked about the vital importance of praying together as a couple (I hope you’re hearing that strongly in this book, because it is so essential to the success of your marriage), a gentleman wrote me with a new way of looking at this. I thought this was quite profound and encouraging: When I was growing up, we lived in a small three-bedroom bungalow, so it was impossible not to hear my parents audibly praying each night before they went to sleep. I grew accustomed to hearing their nightly words of petition and gratitude for each one of us as they knelt down together beside their bed.

Several years ago, as I was sorting through some of my own parenting strategies and comparing them to my parents, I received this mental picture: I see parenting as a wall that we construct by choosing various stones. Some are the same ones our parents used, while others are decidedly different. But regardless, there will always be gaps between these irregularly shaped stones. None of our walls are perfectly constructed. That is where prayer comes in. Those prayers—like the ones my parents faithfully sent heavenward over the years—are the mortar supplier. As we pray, God fills in the gaps and makes the wall strong.

He’s right. There are no perfect parents. There are no foolproof strategies that work without incident every single time. But there is prayer. And there is God. And there is a power unleashed as we humble ourselves before Him that does more than any how-to parenting procedure on the planet. As you build your wall, caulk it with prayer. And watch God hold back your enemies.

DISCUSS

Talk about the noticeable changes God has brought about in your life as you’ve committed to praying together.

PRAY

Pray that in the years remaining, you will be able to count on one hand the nights you failed to pray with each other.